A/N: On my page you'll see this as a 'Side Story'. Meaning I'll work on it when I can. I loooove Pokémon. And Digimon, but I've known Pokémon far longer. And it's fun to write. Haha. Now, read on.
A young woman, about fifteen or sixteen, strolled into the immense school, gates about twelve feet high. As soon as those gates closed behind her, she couldn't visit her family until Christmas Break… In two and a half months! She stopped and spun around as she heard the groans from the gates as the closed. Vala Ulva, fifteen ½, and the newest student in Ikkou Academy, a Pokémon school.
Her brown hair was curled at the ends, brushing her cheeks from under her ears, as her bangs hid some of her forehead and dark emerald eyes. She grinned widely. A new life! I love it already! Vala thought, humming as she pulled out a rule book she was given via mail. The booklet was all black, except for the printing, which was a dark dodge blue, and the print read, "Ikkou Academy 101". Basically it was the rule book.
"Let's see…" Vala muttered, as she sat on the fountain, dubbed 'Dewgong's Bell'. It was loud enough to drown out a few of the early arrivals. Before Vala continued on flipping through the booklet, she stood up once more, set her bag down (her other bags were dragged in by her family to the given room), and looked at the fountain.
"Why are you named 'Dewgong's Bell', anyway?" She whispered, looking even closer into the water. As she focused, the figure was seen, A Dewgong's long, angelic body was easily wrapped around a gorgeous round bell, all of limestone it looked. Before Vala could say anymore, another student accidently patted her shoulder, making her jump up straight.
He was taller than her, it was obvious to Vala when she went to look the person straight in the face to yell at them… She was looking dead on at his black and blood red shirt. She looked up some, and saw his facial features. Or at least liked to, he was wearing a hooded sweater. "Whatever." He said coldly. "Just don't fall in." He said, patting her head and walking off casually, like they were good friends.
How dare he! Vala thought bitterly, walking back to her things and sitting on the edge of the fountain, water's mist cooling her anger. She picked up her booklet and opened it to the first section, 'Simple Guidelines'.
1. You may leave campus every Sunday, unless given notice otherwise. 5. Classes must be attended regularly. If absent, without telling the office, more than three times, you will be kicked out of the class.
2. Curfew is nine PM, lights out, at latest, by nine-thirty PM
3. No being in the other sex's dorm. Even worse if it's another house's. (Punishment varies)
4. Battles can be done at any time.
How dull… Vala mentally scowled as she put the booklet away into her book bag and threw the bag over her shoulders. She now had to carry herself to find the office and get her room number and uniform. Then on Sunday she had to find a store that sold thigh-high black stockings. She only owned white, and that was an other school's colours.
By the time Vala had located and obtained her new things, and was in her room, the sun was setting. Didn't really matter, it was only six PM. But she had to unpack and locate her favourite blanket and pillow. If she couldn't unpack everything, the pillow and cover will suffice. Her room already had a bed set, but hers was far better in her eyes. It was a black wool blanket with a Dragonair on it, looking graceful. Perfect for her new house: Water and Ice. Her pillow was a simple white down pillow, with a Great Ball in the center of it.
"I need curtains or blinds, as well. Good thing Mama gave me the pin number to the credit card she gave me, AND she's paying for the bill." Vala pretended to cackle. "Eh, I won't go crazy, only buy what I need." Vala pulled the next box over, and opened it like a crazy lady on Meth. "Where on Earth did Daddy and Bro put my blanket and pillow?!" Vala whined.
After thirty agitated minutes of searching, she found her things. She set them on the bed. "Oh yeah, I'm good!" Vala laughed, clapping her hands together a few times. "At seven-thirty they start serving dinner, and stop at eight-forty-five. I won't eat tonight. I want to start writing a letter, and put it in the mail box they send out daily." Vala said, as she pulled out her blue stationary, which had little dancing Charmander on the borders.
"Dear Mama, -Vala Ulva (I need to practice my cursive.)
Guess who made it the first day? Tomorrow (oh, it's Sunday tomorrow! I need to go buy black stockings…) I'll be getting my Pokémon. Out of the three starters they've given, I choose Squirtle. They're good defense and attack. Oh, right, I'm in Water/Ice, if you haven't noticed! I'll also be getting my schedule tomorrow. I already have my uniform. Black skirt, white shirt with a black and blue blazer. And black and blue really fancy shoes. I hope I don't ruin them… They look really costly. I spent thirty really long minutes finding my blanket and pillow; tell Daddy and Audry to not pack them so… Hidden. As soon as you write back, I'll write again.
Vala folded the letter horizontally and put it into a stamped envelope, and put it on her desk. Tomorrow she'd put it away. For now all she wanted to do was liven up the place. She pulled out her collection of books and put them nice and neat in her closet. Most were about the life styles of pokémon, and what type of Poffins or Pokéblocks they ate, how they stuck together in the wild, ect., ect. Next, she put away her clothes in her new small dresser. "I need a lock to put on the underwear drawer… I'll put it on a list I need to buy tomorrow." Vala told herself.
Following the clothes was her posters. She brought every single one of her posters from her room here. Most of them were of this famous movie actor, who stared in, ironically, a high school movie series. He was a fire trainer, and his looks matched his Charizard's Flame Thrower. She hung them up, and put a Squirtle poster above her pillow. She put the empty boxes nice and neat in her closet, until she noticed she had a chimney. She remembered her father telling her about it. All first floor rooms have it. I lucked out, then!Vala grinned, as she started to put the boxes into the fire place. She took out a lighter she stole from her brother and lit it. Fire instantly. No… Warm instantly.
"Oh look, they give me wood, too!" Vala blinked, as she saw a note on the wall above the large wood pile.
Once a week we will restock your wood pile. Make it last. Every Sunday we will add more wood. If not anything's changed, we will add more to the rooms occupied.
Vala put three pieces of wood into the fire place, to keep the fire going. "I love coming here on a Saturday." Vala sighed as she looked at her last bag. Her necessities. Brush, toothbrush and toothpaste, hair ties, make up… She needed to empty her new school bag so it could be used as a school bag. She picked up the bag and hauled it over to the desk, which was to the other side of the fire place, in front of her bed. Above her desk was the window, which was letting in the last glimpses of light from the fading sun. "Ah man, I will love it here." Vala said, smiling as she saw some of the younger teachers running around, chasing some of the Fire/Dragon/Fighting house's boys. One of them were the boys she saw earlier, the one who had so gracefully interrupted her thoughts of Dewgong's Bell fountain. I hope you're caught… Vala thought smugly, as she opened the top drawer of her new desk and placed her make up, toothbrush and toothpaste into it. She only had three hair ties, she's keep them on her wrist, one was a scrunchie. "There. I'm done!" Vala smiled. "Oh wait, I have a watch in my other pants' pocket, and an alarm clock hidden in a mini pocket of this bag…" Vala said, digging to unzip the bag's hidden zipper.
After an other ten minutes of figuring out how to set her alarm clock and watch, she laid on the floor by her fire place, watching the fire cackle and dance as the night grew on her. It'd be nice to always have a fire. But they were prettiest at night, because… They just were.
"Knock knock." A voice from the other side of Vala's door interrupted her thoughts. Twice in one day. Just her luck. Vala sighed heavily as she stood up. She fixed her shirt as she opened the door. In front of her was a slightly taller young woman with silky, long black hair, and crystal clear blue eyes, almost a sad grey. She had a long-sleeved dark violet top, and a black miniskirt on, along with black stockings and purple tennis shoes.
"Hello…" Vala said, in a tired way. She was so close to sleep when this chick ruined it.
"I'm Mizuumi Kashikawa. I'm in the dorm across from you, room five." She said smiling. "What room is this, two?"
"Uh… I think. How old are you, Mizuumi?" Vala asked.
"Sixteen. You?"
"Fifteen ½. So we're in the same grade then." Vala smiled.
"I have a Finneon, cutest li'l butterfly fish… Thing… Ever. You?" Mizuumi asked, putting a loose pony tail into her knee-long hair.
"None yet. Going tomorrow. Tomorrow's the fifth, right?" Vala asked, forgetting her calendar at home. An other thing to tack onto the list.
"Sixth. Today's the fifth. Well, I'll leave you be for now. G'night." Mizuumi ruffled Vala's hair before leaving. Vala smiled as she shut and locked her door. It was a thirty minute long chat, because there were a lot of pauses (A/N: I chose not to put those, too lazy).
She walked to the fire and put another log into it. Then she got a small sheet she had brought for… Picnics? Vala couldn't remember, but she tacked it onto her window as a curtain. After she made sure no one could see into her room, Vala made her way to her dresser and brought out her pajamas. She hated taking showers at night, so she'd do it in the morning. After a long issue of "WHERE IS THE HEAD HOLE THINGAMABOB?!", Vala was turning her light off and snuggling into her comfy bed, her wool blanket over her, and her face in her Great Ball pillow. "Aah, this is the life. No little sisters or brothers… No parents, or Mr. Takiwa, our butler… Perfect…" Vala murmured, as she dozed off into a deep sleep.
The next morning, after her shower, she got into her school uniform, to try it on. It fit perfectly, and it felt nice, too. She decided to wear it around, seeing as she had two more weeks until school. She grabbed the shopping list, her mother's letter, her purse, and her new key. She shut her door and locked it, slipping the key onto her purse's keychain. "First stop, the lab for this house. It should be down the hall." Vala told herself, walking down the long corridor. She walked past about three sets of stairs, all leading upstairs, when she finally came across this large steel door, with the words 'Get your poké pal here! … It's the Lab!'. Vala opened the door, thinking the person who was in charge of this house was a little… Loose in the head.
"Hello?" Vala called. "I'm here for a partner," Vala shut the door and looked around. There was a large sofa, and a bunch of computers, with scattered papers on the keyboards. Each one of them. The windows were covered in wood, hiding the sunlight. The only light they had were from the dimming light from above. Finally, a young woman appeared, holding a tray with three pokéballs.
"Hiya." She said, her short black hair and big, gaudy glasses hid her face.
"Um, do you guys ever see the light of day?" Vala asked.
"Dear, I haven't seen a blade of grass since last year! Now, we have Finneon, Mudkip, or Squirtle. Which'll you have?" She asked, smiling widely.
"You make them sound like a fast food choice. I'll take Squirtle." Vala took the pokéball and put it into her school bag.
"Squirtle: male, kind to those who treat it well." She said, ushering Vala outside, muttering about rumours coming into play at the school, and city. As soon as Vala spun around to thank the crazy lady, she was facing the cold, steel door she had once opened to get Squirtle. Vala sighed, and decided to go get her schedule, and then head off shopping. And to drop off the letter she was going to give her mother.
By the time she had finally finished doing everything she needed, it was five in the afternoon. Ikkou Academy was in the fanciest part of town, so Vala wasn't really used to the area. Meaning… She got lost so many times just trying to find a cheap clothing store. Not easy, it really wasn't. And then she had to relocate to a grocery store, and again, she got utterly lost. It was so difficult. But, she did obtain a few maps to help her along the way. By a few, she got about ten different maps.
Vala threw her bags onto her bed as she locked the door once again. Safety measure. She threw a few logs into the fire place, and lit a spare paper, tossing it in there to start the fire. After shutting the fire place's screen, she walked over to her window and took off the 'curtain', to put up the real curtains she bought from the clothing store (some sell other things than just clothes, like Wal Mart!). An hour later, she managed to put up the curtains, and close them perfectly, as well. "I could be a handyman -- woman -- if I wanted to!" Vala said, mentally patting herself on the back, praising herself.
She threw away the spare plastic bags and put away the things she bought, including a little cooking oven (with propane), and a mini refrigerator that plugged into the wall. As well as a few pots and pans. Her personal bathroom had a sink she could wash the pans in. "Ah man, I feel like I just moved out." Vala said to herself, looking at her watch. Six-forty-eight PM. She looked over at her purse, and remembered Squirtle. She walked over and pulled out the normal Pokéball, and released Squirtle.
"Hiya." Vala smiled, as Squirtle looked up at her curiously. At first, all he did was sniff her legs, tickling her. Then he hugged her legs, as though he were a toddler seeing his momma after a long day at day care. "Yay, you like me, you really like me!" Vala imitated those wannabe actors from the Oscar awards, as she kneeled down and hugged Squirtle. "We're gonna have fun together, won't we?" She asked, Squirtle nodding in agreement. "Ooh, you understand me, even! What are cute, smart, Squirtle you are." Vala patted Squirtle's head.
After making her and Squirtle dinner, and realizing Squirtle plus chocolate equals a hyper turtle, she put the pokéball on her desk and let Squirtle stay out. As Squirtle sang in pokétongue, Vala pulled out her schedule and read it over.
[6:00AM - 7:30AM Period 1 - Algebra II G
[7:40AM - 9:10AM (BREAKFAST)
[9:20AM - 10:50AM Period 2 - Physical Education 2-1
[11:00AM - 12:30PM Period 3 - The Rules of Training Battle Techniques G
[12:40PM - 1:10PM Period 4 - How to Survive in the Wild G
[1:20PM - 2:20PM (LUNCH)
[2:30PM - 4:00PM Period 5 - English 3.1 G
[4:10PM - 5:30PM Period 6 - The Elite Four and Famous People G
[5:40PM - 6:10PM Period 7 - Pokémon Myths G
[6:20PM - 7:50PM Period 8 - Chemistry Honours G
[8:00PM - 9:00PM (DINNER)
Vala sighed as she set the paper down in annoyance. Eight classes! Eight! Why so much? And each class was ninety minutes long! Not including the breakfast, lunch, and dinner thing… In fact, she had math before she had breakfast. Who on earth can deal with that so early in the morning? And she had G's for all her subjects that could have G's. G's stood for G.A.T.E., and that meant she was in the smartest classes. That scared her. How many other students had those classes? Only a few? And why did she have to be in those G.A.T.E classes?! I just had to ace those stupid entrance exams… Vala thought glumly.
Before she knew it, Squirtle fell asleep, his body half way under her bed, the lower half, and the upper half was just laying there, face in the carpet. Vala glanced over at the clock, which read eight PM. She sighed, not hungry. But she was tired. She picked up Squirtle and placed him on her bed, as she changed into pajamas. She then put an other log into the fire, shut her curtains, and set her alarm for six AM. Vala snuggled into her blankets, letting Squirtle do the same thing, before both dozed off into the dark abyss of dreams and nightmares.